The Green Hour

By the second half of the 19th century, French soldiers had claimed 5-7 p.m. for the taking of absinthe, their anti-malarial medication turned happy-hour beverage of choice. L’Heure Verte, or the Green Hour, it would come to be called. Enjoy your own Green Hour at these fine, absinthe-friendly locales or wherever you may roam. It’s always five o’clock somewhere!

Bouchon. It’s T.A. Breaux’s own choice for chance encounters with the Fée Verte in Las Vegas, though admittedly he prefers his absinthe in pre-Prohibition cocktails such as the Sazerac, made with High West Rendezvous rye and, of course, his own history-making Lucid absinthe. He says, simply: “Amazing.” In the Venetian.

Fleur de Lys. The candle-lit absinthe cart will once again make for a romantic and daring conclusion to your dining experience when this restaurant reopens in mid-December. In Mandalay Bay.

Mario Barth King Ink. With not a fountain in sight, your choices are limited to taking your absinthe as a straight shot or as a straight shot on fire. Your move, tough guy. In The Mirage.

The Artisan. From a bar stool or cozy couch in the dark, inviting environs of the bar, you can image Toulouse-Lautrec and crew posting up and putting down plenty of absinthe before making besotted overtures to the boutique hotel’s statuary. Enjoy, but try not to follow in their doomed footsteps. 1501 W. Sahara Ave.

Suggested Next Read

Thur. 2
You might be tempted to stay in today because it’s going to be one hell of a weekend. But for those wanting a head start, don’t miss DJ Chris Lake spinning at Vanity. In the Hard Rock. Doors 10 p.m. $40 men, $20 women, local ladies free.